TAUNTON - With the pressure mounting late in the fourth quarter, the situation called for Asiah Dingle to take over for No. 5 Archbishop Williams.
And the junior guard wouldn't let the Bishops be denied on the road yesterday against fourth-seeded Coyle and Cassidy in the quarterfinals of the Division 3 South.
Dingle scored 18 of her game-high 24 points, including the 1,000th of her career, in the second half to carry Archbishop Williams over Coyle, 52-42.
"I knew we had to get the lead to take it home," said Dingle, as the Bishops (18-4) advance to face top-seeded Hanover. "So I fought and fought and I scored."
After trailing, 22-11, at halftime, Coyle (18-4) had all the momentum as it mounted a rally in the second half.
A bucket by Rachael Johnson (12 points) pulled the Warriors within one, 40-39, with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter.
The moment wasn't too big for Dingle, though. On the ensuing trip up the court, Dingle confidently drilled a 3-pointer to create separation.
Bridgette O'Reilly (nine points) followed with a basket before Dingle broke a press by herself and finished a layup in-between two defenders for her 1,000th career point and a 47-39 lead with 1:44 remaining.
"She hates to lose," said Archbishop Williams coach Matt Mahoney. "She'll do whatever it takes to put the ball in the basket."
Dingle, who also had seven steals, led a tenacious defensive effort that thwarted Coyle's attack in the first half. The Warriors didn't help themselves out, either, shooting 13-of-29 from the free-throw line in the game.
But behind Johnson and Samantha Hourihan (12 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks), Coyle made up the difference starting in the third quarter, but never got over the hump.
"I just kept telling them, 'They're going to make a run. You just got to have patience and our time will come again,'" Mahoney said